“I gave up on having kids while I’m at Meta”: Employee’s layoff fears spark debate over work, stability and family planningFor many people, having a child is a deeply personal decision shaped by finances, health, and life goals. But for one Meta employee, the decision has become tied to something much more uncertain – whether she’ll still have a job next year.In an anonymous post on Blind, a platform where verified employees discuss workplace issues, the employee said she has decided to put family planning on hold because she no longer feels secure in her role at Meta.“I gave up on having kids while I’m at Meta,” she wrote, explaining that a conversation with her husband made her realise how much anxiety around job security had affected their plans.The post comes at a time when employee confidence at several major tech companies has taken a hit following repeated rounds of layoffs and internal changes. At Meta, thousands of employees have been impacted by job cuts over the past few years, along with organisational reshuffling across teams.For the employee, the uncertainty has made something as personal as starting a family feel impossible.“There is absolutely zero guarantee I’ll still be employed here by next year, let alone by the time I’d actually return from maternity leave,” she wrote.She said the company’s changing priorities, unstable total compensation, and lack of confidence about the future have made planning for a child feel unrealistic.
“My biological clock is ticking”
One of the hardest parts of her decision, she said, is knowing that time is also a factor.“The sad part is my biological clock is ticking and it’s ticking fast,” she wrote, questioning whether a job-related fear could eventually affect her chance of becoming a parent.Her post highlighted a growing conversation among professionals about how workplace uncertainty can influence major life decisions. While tech jobs are often associated with high salaries and strong benefits, employees say repeated layoffs have created a sense that even well-paid roles can disappear overnight.
The internet weighs in
After the post was shared on X, it sparked a wider discussion about job insecurity, work-life balance, and declining birth rates.Some users pointed out that uncertainty around careers has been affecting people’s decisions for years.“This has been happening for a long time. It’s why birth rates are low,” one person wrote.Another user highlighted how drastic the impact of losing a high-paying tech job can be, especially for employees who may struggle to find a similar position quickly.Others urged the employee not to let a company’s decisions dictate her personal life.“You are just a number on the excel sheet of your organisation,” one commenter wrote, adding that employees often have little control over whether a company keeps their role.The discussion reflects a larger concern many workers are facing today: how to build a personal life when professional stability feels increasingly uncertain.For the Meta employee, the issue isn’t just about a job. It’s about whether the fear of losing one can end up shaping choices that can’t easily be reversed.
